Commemorating Holodomor victims we also recalled victims during Maidan and war at Donbas, - bishop Borys Gudziak at Notre-Dame

Thursday, 23 November 2017, 13:42
November remembrance of Holodomor victims at Notre-Dame cathedral is a tradition for Ukrainian community in France. That is why on 11th of November the memorial Liturgy was served in Notre-Dame, Paris.

The Liturgy was ledby bishop Borys Gudziak, eparch of St. Volodymyr the Great in Paris in co-service with bishop Bohdan Dziurakh, the secretary of the Synod of Bishops of UGCC.

People from the secular authority also took part in the Service: president of Ukrainian World Congress Yevhen Cholyi, Ukrainian ambassador to France, bishop-auxiliary of Parish Archdiocese of RCC in France, representatives of Maronite Catholic Church, Orthodox Churches, Ukrainian communities in France and, also, numerous of believers who filled the whole church.

Specifically, bishop Borys addressed to all the present with the following words:

“For fourteen years we’ve been praying for the victims of a horrible disaster – artificial famine, performed by soviet regime in Ukrainian land in 1932-1933. Although the history of 4-10 million of villagers, physically destroyed by slow torture of starvation, has been withheld for decades in Soviet Union, the truth is being revealed to Ukrainians and French now, as well as the truth about other genocides in XX century – Armenian, Jewish, Cambodian, Rwandan… This year we’re also commemorating Yemen, where millions of people suffer from military actions and severe humanitarian help”, said the bishop at the beginning of his homily.

Bishop Borys assumes that behind every victim there is a unique God’s plan, His image and His loving hand that created all of us. And behind every victim there is a history of a generation, family, relationships, desires and hopes.

“Three years ago we began commemorating those who gave their lives away at Maidan, defending dignity and freedom of Ukraine and Europe.

It is worth adding that November 17, 2017 in Senlis, France was held a traditional commemoration day of Holodomor victims, Heavenly Hundred Heroes and heroes of war at East of Ukraine. Around eighty people participated in this event. Later, bishop Borys celebrated Divine Liturgy at Holy Martyrs Borys and Hlib Church. All in all, Saturday started with putting flowers to the monument of Anna Yaroslavna, the Queen of France. This year in Senlis Ukrainian World Congress has also been celebrated its 50th anniversary, so after the common dinner there was held a round table dedicated to the 50th anniversary of UWC. A memorial day of praying and dialogue was finished with Vespers in Saint Borys and Hlib church.

Info:

Ukrainian World Congress is an organization which is a coordinating international institution of Ukrainian communities in diaspora that represents interests of over 20 millions of Ukrainians. UWC is acknowledged by United Nations Economic and Social Council as non-governmental organization with a special consulting status. 

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